Epilogue
by TurnThePaige
Summary: I feel like we really got cliffhung at the end of Deep Space Nine. Here's a little closure for all of us!
1. Odo Returns

**Here it is! The epilogue to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine! I felt like they really left us hanging after the end of the last season, so here's what I think happened next. Enjoy!**

* * *

Nerys was not surprised to find that someone was sending her a transmission. However, she was slightly surprised to find that it was being transmitted from Deep Space Nine. Nowadays, she only got messages from others on Bajor.

"Kasidy?" Nerys said, looking at the face of her old friend on the small screen. "Nice to see you!"

"Likewise," Kasidy agreed, grinning. "It's been too long."

"How are things on Deep Space Nine?" Nerys asked.

"Great," Kasidy gushed effervescently. "And you'll never guess who just arrived."

"Who?" Nerys asked, truly curious. It took quite a bit to excite Kasidy this much.

"Odo's back!" she said loudly, smiling from ear to ear. "I'm going to contact everyone and tell them to get here in five days. We'll have a big party at Vic's, and it'll be just like old times! Doesn't that sound great?"

Nerys was speechless. Odo had been gone for twenty years. She had moved on, and now he was back? After a second, Nerys smiled. "Sure does," she agreed. "I'll be there."

Kasidy giggled. "I can hardly wait. Good-bye!"

"Good-bye," Nerys echoed. Then the transmission ended. She just stood there for a few minutes, digesting this new information, until she heard her husband calling to her.

"Nerys?" Tryas walked up to his wife. Then he saw her pensive expression. "What is it?"

Nerys looked into his loving eyes. "Odo's back," she said. "I'd like you to meet him; he was my best friend."

"_The _Odo?" Tryas was surprised that the main character of so many of his wife's stories would have returned. "Really? Why'd he come back?"

Nerys shrugged. "We'll find out, I guess."

* * *

Five days later, the gang met at the agreed time in Lott's Bar. Then, chattering, Kasidy, Jake, Miles, Julian, Ezri, Quark, Rom, Nerys, and all of their families went up to the holosuites, which had barely changed due to the skinflint owners it had had over the years.

"Here it is!" Kasidy said, stopping at Holosuite 3. "He's in here with Vic." They all filed in.

The familiar setting took them all by surprise, even bringing tears to some eyes. They made their way to the empty tables before the holographic stage. Many pairs of eyes looked anxiously around for Odo, but he was nowhere to be seen.

When they were all seated, the lights dimmed, and the band started to play. Vic appeared in a spotlight and started to sing, and it _was _just like old times! Then, to everyone's surprise, Odo appeared alongside Vic, tux and all, and they sang together. The audience yelled in appreciation and excitement, swaying, clapping, and dancing to the music. Smiles were plastered on every face.

After the song ended, Odo made his way off the stage and into the elated throng of friends. He was obviously slightly embarrassed, but he was happy just the same. When initial hugs and hellos had been completed, everyone sat back down, and Odo sat up by Vic on the edge of the stage. The concert was put off so that they could all talk together.

Everyone was asking questions loudly around Odo, about the Great Link, about why he was there. Then he put up his hand. "First of all, I want to meet all of your families," Odo insisted. "Then I'll tell you anything you want to know about me."

"Well," Kasidy started, "I've got my husband, Christopher, my sons, Ben and Joe, and my daughter, Evelyn. And of course, there's Jake, but you already know him."

"This is my wife, Melanie," Jake said, "and our kids, Tyson and Pheobe."

"Did you ever become an author?" Odo asked.

"Yes, I did!" Jake said, smiling proudly.

"And he's wonderful at it," Melanie added.

And so commenced the introductions. Miles and Keiko had had two more children in addition to Molly and Kirayoshi. Yoshi and Molly were both married, and Molly already had a child of her own! Now Miles and Keiko were officially grandparents.

Julian and Ezri had been married for almost twenty years now, and their children were present: Richard, Yanas, Fraisa, and Taber.

Quark had sold his bar years ago and gone to live on Ferenginar, where he started his own business. It was "still taking off, but showing much promise" as Quark put it.

Rom was enjoying his time as Grand Nagus very much, and, believe it or not, Ferenginar was still a prosperous planet!

Nog loved being in Starfleet still, and he was now the First Officer aboard the _USS Eminent_. (And none too humble about it.)

Then Nerys introduced her husband Tryas and her children. Odo was heartbroken that Nerys had been married, but he would have been even more sad to find that she hadn't moved on with her life. Odo thought that he should have known she wouldn't have waited for him. She hadn't even known that he was coming back at all! But of course, that had never crossed his mind. He had been foolish to hope. At least Tryas seemed like a kind man, and their children were adorable! Odo was truly happy for her.

"Wait a moment," Odo said after everyone had been introduced. "Where's Worf?"

Everyone was quiet for a minute. Then Ezri spoke up. "He died honorably in battle," she explained. "No doubt he's in Sto-Vo-Kor."

There was a long and respectful silence after that announcement. Of course, this had happened a number of years ago, but they all still missed Worf badly. Especially Ezri longed for him to be here at this reunion party.

Then Nerys asked, "So, what was it like in the Great Link, Odo?"

Odo looked at her gratefully. "Incomprehensibly incredible," he answered. "The feeling of being connected with everyone around you, never having to be alone... it was just unbelievable. You couldn't imagine it."

"What have you been doing?" Jake asked.

"I spent most of my time in the Link trying to convince the others that Solids aren't as bad as they think, and they've finally decided to listen to me. They want to form an with the Federation, though you shouldn't get your hopes up too high. They still don't think very highly of you. They sent me as Ambassador since I've spent the most time with Solids. This won't be permanent, of course. I've been in the Link for twenty years; I can't just come back forever. I feel very out of place already!"

There was an incomprehensible mumbling throughout the room about this new information, but it died away when Miles spoke.

"It's kind of strange," Miles pointed out, "seeing you unchanged after all these years, when we're grandparents already."

"Speak for yourself, old man!" Julian retorted.

"Well, if it'll make you feel better..." Odo gave himself a more aged-looking face. Apparently, his morphing skills had developed over the years. Some people laughed while others just gaped in awe.

"You know, I had no idea how long I'd been in the Link until I left," Odo said. "Time is nothing there. It wasn't until I boarded a ship much more technologically advanced than I was used to that I finally had the thought that it might be too late to see any of you again. When I saw Captain Ketrel, rather than Colonel Kira or Captain Sisko - not that I had expected to see him - I gave up hope. I thought you'd all be dead. Thankfully, though, I was wrong." He thought for a moment. "That brings up another point. I take it Captain Sisko never returned?"

Several head shakes rippled through the room. Odo noticed that Jake had thrown an imploring look at his mother. Kasidy bit her lip, obviously in personal conflict. Then she said, "That's not entirely true."

Suddenly, all eyes were on Kasidy. She sighed. "It was nineteen years ago. Ben was just a baby. Oh, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

"Jake and I were sitting in the living room, just talking. Then, all of a sudden, there was a bright flash of light, and there he was. Ben told us, among other things, that he had learned quite a bit from the Prophets and that he would be staying with them. He is a Prophet now, but he wanted to meet his new son and see the rest of his family just one last time." She took her husband's hand and laid her head on his shoulder.

"When he left," Jake continued, "we agreed that we'd just keep his visit between us, and we'd done that until now, I guess."

There was a short silence while everyone processed what they'd heard. "Well, I'm grateful that you decided to share that with us," Ezri said. "He was - or is, I guess - the friend of _three_ lifetimes for me. That's quite the rarity."

Julian cleared his throat loudly.

"Well, I've only known you for two, honey," Ezri pointed out.

* * *

"You seem like the same old Odo," Nerys later commented, when only Vic was singing and people were eating, talking, or dancing.

"Maybe to you, but the Link had a greater affect on me than I would've anticipated," Odo admitted. "While I was trying to convince the others that Solids aren't so bad, they were trying to persuade me that you are inferior in every way. I was there for twenty years while we argued. They could access my memories of my time with Solids, and they knew exactly what I thought and why. Even though I fought to stand firm in my belief in Solids, I was really worn down by their principles."

"But you held strong, apparently?" Nerys asked.

Odo nodded. "I did spend many, many years around Solids, and I knew that they were good. I don't think any amount of persuasion will ever convince me otherwise. Then others began to understand my views and agree with my opinion; that helped. Gradually, the whole of us agreed that Solids might be worth trusting after all."

"That's really amazing, Odo," Nerys said. "You single-handedly overthrew centuries of your people's misgivings about Solids. You should be proud."

"Well, we'll see about that," Odo said. "I don't know if these talks will really work. Some other Changelings could sway at any moment. Not all of us are quite as enthusiastic about an alliance as I am."

"Would you quit being modest!" Nerys exclaimed.

"Really," Tryas added, "you're so humble that you're making me feel egotistical."

Odo smiled. There was just something about these Solids that he liked, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He knew why the other Changelings didn't trust them, but he had to disagree due to his personal experience. Then again, who was he to argue with the Great Link?

That argument had gone through Odo's head several times since he had left the Link. Still, he couldn't bring himself to be skeptical of the Solids. There would always be a soft spot for them in Odo's heart.

* * *

**I think I covered everyone's story here. Do you think so? If not, let me know. I'd be happy to add more! :) Anyway, please review! I miss getting reviews. I'm kind of in a review famine, and I'd really appreciate it if you would end it! **


	2. Odo Investigates

**It has come to my attention that I left some business unfinished. Can't have that, can we? Here's a little more of the story...**

Odo was strolling along the Promenade as he used to do all those years ago, in his now outdated DS9 security uniform, taking in all the changes.

Nothing was the same as it had been. Quark's Bar was no longer; it had been replaced by Lott's Bar some years back. The Klingon restaurant had augmented its menu and was prospering. And what was once a simple tailor's shop had been replaced by an elaborate store of intergalactic fashion.

Odo couldn't resist his curiosity. Had Garak's modest business failed in the past twenty years? He walked into the store and was surprised at what he saw.

There were fabrics of all sorts of materials from many different planets lining the walls of the store. Transparent humanoid figurines stood all around, modeling ostentatious clothing. A young Bajoran lady was being fitted for a bright orange outfit on a platform in the center of the room.

A young Trill woman that Odo didn't recognize appeared next to him. "What can I do for you today, sir?" she asked helpfully, smiling. She was in an outfit that consisted of wide horizontal strips of neon pink fabric alternating with strips of bare skin. Odo couldn't help wondering what kept the strips in place.

"Ah - No, I was... just looking for someone..." Odo stammered.

"And who is that?" the young woman asked him, grinning kindly.

"His name is Garak," Odo told her.

"Garak?" the woman asked, her brow furrowing slightly as her head cocked to the side. "Elim Garak?"

Odo nodded. "Yes, that's the one."

"Well, how do you know him?" she asked, sounding awed.

"I worked on this station twenty years ago, at the same time he did," Odo said. "Is he here?"

"No, no, he doesn't live on DS9," she said, shaking her head. "In fact... I don't know where he lives, but I'm sure he lives very comfortably, wherever he is."

"What do you mean?" Odo asked.

"Well, he founded this franchise, the entire Ziyal organization," the woman said as if Odo should know this.

"The Ziyal organization?" Odo said. "He really did continue into the clothing business? That's... that's somewhat surprising."

"Why is that?" the Trill woman asked.

"Well, it's just that I was always convinced that he had some kind of hidden agenda," Odo explained, reminiscing. "He claimed to be a simple tailor, but he exhibited behaviors quite uncharacteristic of a man of such a profession."

The woman looked at Odo with a half-disbelieving, half-uncomprehending look. "Uh-huuuh... Well, I can't help you find Mr. Garak. No one knows where he is."

"You mean he's gone missing?" Odo asked.

"No, he just stays hidden. He comes out every so often - whenever he's needed - but no one really knows where he goes off to afterward." She grinned. "It's very mysterious."

Odo nodded slowly. "Well, thank you for your help," he said.

"Anytime," the woman said, smiling brightly. "Please visit us again!"

Odo left the store, still thinking. So, Garak was a big name in the clothing business, except that he had named his own business after Ziyal, who he had indeed been very fond of. However, he was still a shady character, with his mysterious periodical disappearances.

Same old Garak.

**Okay. NOW I think I covered everything. But if you think of anything else I missed, please let me know!**


End file.
